John L. Hirt, 88, of Danville, IL, passed away on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at the Illinois Veteran’s Home in LaSalle, IL with family at his side. He was born on May 21, 1926 in Terra Haute, IN to the late Leonard A. and Polly (Welte) Hirt. On December 27, 1952 he married Mary Kay Sefton; she preceded him in death on December 25, 1996. He was also preceded in death by his son Joseph Patrick Hirt and his daughter Molly Katherine Arnold. He was a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Danville, where he also was a member of the local Elk’s Lodge #332. He attended Wiley High School in Terre Haute and later graduated from St. Louis University. He served as a 3rd Class Radioman in the U.S. Navy during WWII, settling in Toledo, OH in 1953. He moved to Danville, IL in 1958 and remained there until 1998. During his working career in Danville, John worked for Danville Products and FMC Corporation. He spent most of his career as a sales representative for Cooke Business Forms Company before retiring in 1993. After retiring in 1993, John served as the Director of Development for the Schlarman Foundation. His love and support for Schlarman High School and Catholic education were evident throughout the years. He sent all seven of his children through 12 years of Catholic education at St. Paul’s Elementary and Schlarman High Schools. After encountering health issues in 1998, he moved to assisted living locations in Champaign and Bloomington, IL until 2014, when he transferred to the Illinois Veteran’s Home in LaSalle. He is survived by 4 sons, John A. “Tony” (Peggy) Hirt of LaGrange, IL, Tom (Vanessa) Hirt of McKinney, TX, Jim Hirt of Dallas, TX, and Steve (Tamara) Hirt of Seattle, WA; daughter, Gretchen (Tom) Brown of Wausau, WI; daughter-in-law, Jamie Hirt of Mundelein, IL; son-in-law Scott Arnold of Bloomington, IL; 16 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. Visitation will be from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at Sunset Funeral Home, 3940 N. Vermilion St., Danville, with a Scriptural Wake at 3:30 p.m. A 9:15 p.m. Prayer Service will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2015 at Sunset Funeral Home followed by a 10:00 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, 1303 N Walnut St, Danville. Burial will follow in the Danville National Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Schlarman Academy of Danville.